A nurse is providing teaching to a client who has diabetes mellitus. Which of the following instructions should the nurse provide to the client to help prevent the development of nephropathy?

Rationale: A. Decreasing potassium intake: Reducing potassium intake is not a primary strategy for preventing diabetic nephropathy unless the client has hyperkalemia or impaired renal excretion. Potassium restriction is individualized and does not prevent kidney damage from chronic hyperglycemia or hypertension. B. Voiding every 2 hr: Frequent urination is not an intervention to prevent nephropathy. While monitoring urinary patterns can help detect early signs of kidney dysfunction, routine voiding does not protect renal function or slow disease progression. C. Limiting protein intake: Protein restriction may help reduce kidney workload in clients with established renal impairment, but it is not a primary preventive measure in clients with normal kidney function. Overly restricting protein can risk malnutrition without significantly preventing nephropathy in early diabetes. D. Controlling hypertension: Maintaining blood pressure within target ranges reduces glomerular stress and slows the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Hypertension accelerates renal damage in diabetes by increasing intraglomerular pressure and promoting proteinuria, making blood pressure control a key preventive strategy.